Phoenix: Why?

[Cloral]

Simple question: why the heck is there such a large city out in the middle of nowhere?

[phattonez]

Cheap housing. That's it. People are still holding onto the notion that we can support our entire population in single family houses where everyone drives to work. In the real cities people have begun to realize that it's impossible (because they're all running out of land) hence why these houses have begun to crop up in deserts (ala Phoenix and Las Vegas) where there is still open land.

[Beldaran]

Cheap housing. That's it.

Making up answers to historical questions is fun!

Actual answer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix,_Arizona#Founding_of_Phoenix)

[phattonez]

Cheap housing is responsible for the tremendous growth of Phoenix. Without it, it would be another city like Needles.

[Pineconn]

Why do people live in tornado-prone Oklahoma? Why do people live along the hurricane-prone gulf coast? Why do people live in dynamic California? Why do people live in (in my opinion) overcrowded New York City?

I don't know. They just do. These are questions you would want to ask the residents of such places.

[rock_nog]

Hey now, I think you're being a tad unfair. Firstly, Oklahoma has soil that's good for farming. Secondly, tornadoes are not as common as you might think - I spent my first 12 years in Oklahoma, and never once saw a tornado.

[Pineconn]

I didn't put much thought into my post. I just got home from a disappointing 23-21 almost-come-from-behind-holy-crap-we-pulled-off-two-successful-onside-kicks-in-a-row high school football game (that we lost). I didn't really try to be perfectly fair in that post. Maybe I'm just being spiteful.